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SLO Council approves bonuses for Lichtig and Dietrick

May 4, 2016

SLO City Manager Katie LichtigThe San Luis Obispo City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday to approve $5,000 retention bonuses for City Manager Katie Lichtig and City Attorney Christine Dietrick. Lichtig has now received bonuses two years in a row, and Dietrick has now received five bonuses or raises in five years.

As in 2015, Councilman Dan Carpenter cast the lone dissenting vote on the bonuses for Lichtig and Dietrick. The other four council members voted in favor of the financial rewards, even though all public comment on the matter — both written an oral — voiced opposition to the bonuses.

City staffers said they proposed $5,000 bonuses for Lichtig and Dietrick based on performance and the average pay of comparable markets in recent years. Residents who criticized the financial rewards said Lichtig and Dietrick are already overpaid.

Lichtig receives a base salary of $230,464, and her total yearly compensation is $321,021. Dietrick’s salary is $199,844, and her total compensation is $275,778.

By contrast, both Gov. Jerry Brown and California Attorney General Kamala Harris receive less than $200,000 a year in total compensation.

Christine Dietrick

Christine Dietrick

In 2015, the San Luis Obispo council granted Lichtig a car allowance of $450 a month, or $5,400 annually, and a cash bonus of $7,600. Dietrick received a 7 percent raise that increased her base salary by more than $12,000.

Previously, Dietrick received a 3.5 percent raise in 2012, followed by a 4.5 percent bump in pay in 2013 and a 4.2 percent salary increase in 2014.

Licthtig has received criticism for rising staffing costs, as well as for high turnover of upper-level staff. In the past four years, the city has gone through four finance directors, four city clerks and two police chiefs.


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Taxation without representation. We all know how that ends.


Thank you Dan Carpenter, you have my vote.


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Hey! How can they live here on such a low income? poor little bureaucrats…

Your vote matters. It’s the same way in DC. I just visited that fine jurisdiction and It looks like California looked in her hay day. Clean, perfect roadways construction going on everywhere,

Old inner city run down neighborhoods revamping at a very fast pace. If you want to live the good life in America….get a government job.


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It’s time to STOP FUNDING THE FRAUD!


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Insane, absolutely insane


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Time to throw the bums out. ALL the public testimony was against, and the council voted FOR? What’s wrong with this picture? Marx must go.


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The Council consistently ignores the desires of the people. I know it’s hard sometimes to figure out what the majority of constituents want when only a few show up at Council meetings to express their concerns. However, when you have items on the Council agenda that bring out droves of people in person or in writing, then Council should definitely consider the wishes of these people when making their decisions. These aren’t the developers or the “regulars” who make consistent appearances at Council meetings. These are average citizens who come forward because they feel strongly about a particular issue that will personally impact them. These are the people Council should be listening to.


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Maybe the council is just trying to show that women receive equal pay and there is no

‘war on women” in san luis obispo.


Do the bonuses recognize any specific achievements? I guess they achieved equally since they received the same amount. It would be nice if the taxpayer knew what those are.


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For that you will need to read the consultants report and perhaps the consultants bill.


Good question, how much did we pay to have them tell staff to hand out the cash?


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The ol’ Fox guarding the chicken coop adage. The hierarchy always takes care of themselves, and at times, at the expense of it’s constituents. Whats new?


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I can assure you that the rank and file are not receiving bonus’, car allowances nor 7% raises. This money is certainly a payoff for the job they have done protecting the corruption that has taken over City Hall. The Democratic Party controls the City, is currently running the Board of Supervisors although that will soon change, and continues to carry out their untruthful corrupt agenda. They get away with this because most hard working families, not associated with government employment or students, no longer live in SLO or they can run this City with full liberal agendas.


Good luck for the poor suckers still living there (SLO Native and former resident)!


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It’s the same all over for all of the politicians. It’s not their money so spread the wealth among themselves. There is really only one group of people to blame for letting this happen-the voters.

It’s time for some big changes within SLO county and the voters have the opportunity to elect people into positions who have respect for how much hard work it takes a taxpayer to make a dollar and then have to give a good portion of it up thru taxes, fees and bonds to feed these irresponsible people.

So far there are only 4 politicians who have the guts to say no, Supervisors Arnold and Compton and city council members Carpenter in SLO and Kelley in Atascadero.


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Maybe the city council could put some additional parking meters in SLO like the rainbow ones that people can use to donate to the homeless bums.


These meters could be for political bonuses. Any taxpayer that wants to show his appreciate for the great job government does could swipe his/her credit card or drop spare change in the parking meter and the council divvy it up at the end of the fiscal year.


I have a feeling the proceeds would be a lot less than $10k.


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“These meters could be for political bonuses.”


That is the best idea I have heard all day. Put them in a row in front of City Hall and let the people vote with $ (or slugs).


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